Prof Timothy Adebayo, the Vice-Chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo State, has vowed to ensure that justice is served in the case of a student who was allegedly tortured to death by his schoolmates.
The incident occurred on Saturday when a 200-level engineering student, Alex Timileyin, was beaten to death over a claim that he stole a mobile phone.
According to reports, the student was beaten to death inside a hostel known as Shepherd Inn on the school premises. The Vice-Chancellor addressed stakeholders on Monday, expressing his profound sorrow and regret over the incident. He noted that the university administration launched an investigation, which revealed a disturbing narrative.
The Vice-Chancellor stated that the incident unfolded on Saturday around 8:30 am when the university's security personnel discovered a student's body in front of one of the hostel rooms.
He added that the student was initially taken to the health center, but it was discovered that he was already dead. The university administration then launched an investigation, which revealed that the student was bullied by his fellow students and left without anyone knowing.
The Vice-Chancellor emphasized that the university has a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and bullying. He noted that the university has cases of students who were expelled from the university when they tried to engage in such behavior.
He added that the investigation progressed, and the authorities were able to identify the key perpetrators responsible for the assault, hair-shaving, and video recording.
The Vice-Chancellor confirmed that the perpetrators are currently with the police in Oyo and are being taken to the state police headquarters.
